An array of some of the best players in men's tennis, including Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco, will appear in the inaugural Malaysian Open in September, organisers said Thursday. "We have seven of the top 20 players in the ATP 250 World Tour in Malaysia from September 26 to October 4," tournament director Nick Freyer told reporters.
Freyer described the entry list as "fantastic and unbelievably strong." A total of 28 players will participate in the 947,750-dollar tournament. Russia's Davydenko is ranked eight in the world while Spain's Verdasco is 10. Freyer said the tennis stars would draw fans from neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia, adding ticket sales had been encouraging.
Other top players expected to play in Malaysia are Sweden's Robin Soderling (world ranked 11), Fernando Gonzalez of Chile (12), Spain's David Ferrer (19) and former world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. Freyer said Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Frenchman Richard Gasquet will also feature.